Critically endangered Sumatran rhino delivers healthy baby

As conservationists work to save the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, good news arrived in the form of a healthy baby born just this week. The female calf was delivered at Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. The baby is a huge win for conservationists, since fewer than 100 of these magnificent creatures are still alive on the planet.

IRF Executive Director Susie Ellis said, “We are overjoyed that Ratu delivered a healthy calf and are cautiously optimistic that the calf will continue to thrive. She’s absolutely adorable, and we haven’t stopped smiling since the moment we were sure she was alive and healthy. While one birth does not save the species, it’s one more Sumatran rhino on Earth.”

The IRF states there are less than 100 Sumatran rhinos alive. They face deforestation and poaching, making it hard for them to thrive safely in the wild. The IRF started the sanctuary back in 1997. They also run Rhino Protection Units in couple of the habitats that remain for Sumatran rhinos in an attempt to protect these creatures.